Rules to Better Security - End Users

The 10 tips CEOs must know for both end-users and SysAdmins:

If you need to remember the password then a passphrase is best. Preferably these should be made up of 4 random words with a length of at least 16 characters. These eliminate the requirement for special characters and are incredibly difficult for a computer to guess.

A strong password would look something like this:

🙂 Figure: OK example - A strong memorable password

However the best passwords in the world are the ones you can never possibly remember. Computer generated passwords, with a length of at least 16 characters, offer the most protection. A super strong password looks something like this:

✅ Figure: Good example - A strong computer-generated password

This is obviously not something you can realistically type in every time you need to use it. Fortunately, the same tools that generate these for us also manage them, storing them securely and automatically entering them into websites and apps for us.

With a password manager, you don't have to remember that strong, unique password for every website. The password manager stores them for you and even helps you generate new, random ones.

The best way to protect your passwords is to never share them. However, in some cases, sharing passwords may be necessary. In these situations, it is essential to follow a strict password sharing procedure to ensure the security of sensitive information. The key to this procedure is having a powerful password manager to be able to share passwords securely and efficiently.

Often an organization needs to share a password to a 3rd party. Perhaps a client or a vendor require a password. There are a few ways that this could be achieved but some are less secure than others.

Keeping sensitive details like credit card numbers and passport information in unsecured places is risky. It can harm both the individuals involved and the organization’s reputation.

Ideally, avoid storing this information altogether. However, that is not always practical. Managers and CEOs often need to share these details with admin staff to book flights or arrange travel, for example. When that happens, make sure the information is stored and shared securely. Use encrypted files, password managers, or secure portals instead of emails, spreadsheets, or notes.

Microsoft is constantly releasing updates for Windows and one of the most important things they do is patch viruses. Without these updates, users would be vulnerable to attacks from hackers. This is the same for MacOS.

So it is critical to always keep your operating system up to date.

Often users don't know how to properly secure their computer and open themselves to vulnerabilities. Windows Security solves this by ensuring that a PC is running all the best practices to keep it safe from harm.

Users are often exposed to viruses on their machines. Virus scans help identify and remove potential threats on your machine. Windows comes with built-in protection called virus and threat protection that is suitable for most situations.

Complexity requirements are valuable in that they offer a little protection, but not as much as you think. Attackers generally use 2 methods to get people's passwords: brute force, and social engineering.

Passwords are a legacy technology that is not fit for the purpose that we use them today. We're working our way towards a post-password world, in particular the FIDO alliance, and many biometric technologies, including fingerprint and face recognition that you may have in your phone. But for now, passwords are something we all need to live with.